I am so glad that I am no longer a bonafide healthcare worker for many reasons. But one reason looming now is the increasing pressure on healthcare workers to get flu vaccines, even though compliance among doctors and nurses is very low. One has to wonder about that…but that’s another story.

But right now, we have the infamous H1N1 influenza which has become pandemic. And while the media stories, in their attempt to sensationalize and milk this for all its worth, often skim over or completely neglect to clearly explain what pandemic means. The terminology has nothing at all to do with virulence or death rates. It simply means that a disease has spread across a certain number of national borders.

So seasonal flu is pandemic during the winter. Common colds are pandemic. And so on.

But the “call” is for healthcare workers to get vaccinated first, when and if an H1N1 vaccine ever emerges from the lab. I’m sure it will be “voluntary” but the push will be on to force healthcare workers to be guinea pigs get their shot.

I’ve said this before and will said it again–of course one needs to keep an eye on the swine flu and track it. That said, the virus is thus far behaving like any other flu. The death rate is very small, and those who died from flu had underlying medical conditions. A bout of the “regular” flu would have had the same effect.

So no, I would not get a swine flu vaccine if I were still actively working in healthcare. Nor would I get the regular flu vaccine. I’ve never had the flu that I can recall, or a flu vaccine, so why change what seems to be working?

However, there are some alarming trends that even the mainstream media is reporting. First, we are not likely to see a vaccine until the end of the year. That is good news, because by then it will be winter, and we will be able to see if the predictions are correct–that the swine flu will return in the fall. Also, it may be that it stays at its current level of virulence which would negate the urgency of a vaccine.

But here’s where it get worrisome. From the LATimes:

Some preliminary studies have suggested that vaccines made from the pandemic virus do not stimulate as strong an immune response as seasonal flu vaccines, Kieny said. That suggests that vaccines will require larger-than-normal doses of antigens or two doses of vaccine — both of which will strain the supply. Alternatively, the virus could be mixed with adjuvants, which increase the body’s immune reaction to the viral antigens. But those combinations would require additional safety testing. Either way, a fully licensed vaccine is unlikely to be available before the end of the year.

So they’re talking larger than normal doses, and two shots no less. Plus adding in a cocktail of ingredients to increase the body’s immune system. Uh, are we talking major safety issues here? Possible vaccine reactions that can overwhelm the risk of the flu? Especially if the H1N1 remains at its current level of virulence and poses no greater threat than the normal seasonal flu? Especially when there are many ways to prevent getting sick in the first place, without a vaccine?

The next part of this is even worse:

Kieny noted, however, that many countries have provisions in their laws for emergency situations in which a vaccine could be widely used before licensing if preliminary studies indicate that it is safe and effective. If that occurs, she added, it will be very important to increase post-marketing surveillance to detect potential side effects.

Use before licensing if preliminary studies indicate safety? Emphasis on the word preliminary.

Bleech. This is disturbing. It’s one thing if there’s an epidemic similar to the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages, which seemed unstoppable and seemingly killed everything in its path. Then the risk of an untested vaccine is outweighed by the risk of illness. But unless the H1N1 turns into something like the 1918 Spanish flu, then there is absolutely no reason to push this vaccine on anyone before it is ready. I know, Pharma’s got to make a profit.

Well, remember the smallpox vaccine of a few years ago? And the swine flu vaccine of the late 1970s? We should not forget those lessons.

At any rate, thanks guys, but no thanks.

So, instead of coming up with a really viable and feasible healthcare reform plan of their own (you know, one that might reform the insurance industry, mandate insurers can’t cancel policies just because, raise rates because the CEO thinks two private jets are insufficient and wants to expand the fleet), they are spending their energy putting together an anti-healthcare reform website. Way to go, guys.

From Politico:

The Republican National Committee launched a website Thursday to harness grassroots opposition to Democratic health reform plans moving through Congress.

The website, BarackObamaExperiment.com, is the first in a series of Republican efforts to reach out to voters and give them ways to contact lawmakers, radio shows and newspaper editorial boards. It paints Obama’s health care
efforts as a risky experiment the country can’t afford.

“The Democrats want a government-run health care system that will control your health care, your treatments, your medicines, even what doctors you see. This grand experiment on America is a risk our country cannot afford to take,” RNC Chairman Michael Steele says in an introductory video on the website.

Are they offering anything as an alternative? Anything in its place? Or is it to “just say no” to the Obama plan.

The article notes that Republican consultant Alex Castellanos feels that healthcare reform is moving way too quickly. Too much, too soon. Well, the Republicans had 8 years to do something, and did nothing. In fact, healthcare is in worse shape than ever. Castellanos is quoted as writing “This is 20 percent of our economy. This is our health care and our future. If we screw this up, it could last for generations.”

Now that sounds familiar. I guess that’s just what they Republican admin was thinking when they squandered the surplus left from Clinton, and put the nation trillions into debt. Did they give pause and think about it? Or how many generations it may take to pay off the debt and get our nation up and coming?

So guys, put some action where your mouth is. Let’s see your healthcare reform plan, and tell us why it is superior to anything that Obama has come up with. Show us how it will work better, save money, and be for the good of all Americans.

I’m waiting….